Everything you need to know...
-
What is the fee?
Home: See fees section below
International/EU: £17,155 per year (£1,200 for placement year) -
How long will I study?
4/5 Years
-
Where will I study?
-
What are the entry requirements?
-
What is the UCAS code?
A102
-
When do I start?
September 2025
-
Placement year available?
Yes
Where will I study?
Course summary
- Experience award-winning teaching recognised by the British Society of Criminology.
- Work with our Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice to address ethical and social justice issues.
- Gain expertise in topics like policing, prisons and forensic psychology.
- Improve your employability through work placements and international study opportunities.
Gain a criminological and psychological perspective on the causes and consequences of crime, the criminal justice system, and ways of treating and managing offenders. By studying both criminology and psychology, you’ll gain a broad, multi-disciplinary understanding of criminological and psychological theory, and how to apply this knowledge to real-life experiences, human behaviour and workplaces.
If you don't meet the entry requirements for this course, or you’d like extra preparation before starting degree-level study, we recommend you join the foundation year.
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
How you learn
Our staff are actively engaged in criminological and psychological research. Researchers work in fields as diverse as health and wellbeing, language and education, social policy, political theory, social inequalities, the criminal justice system, and many more areas across the scope of psychology, sociology and politics. As a result, we offer up-to-date teaching and course content of the highest standard, covering topics with real-world implications.
Our academics bring a wealth of knowledge and skills from professional practice across the criminal justice and psychological sectors, including the police, prison service, probation, youth organisations, mental health settings and charity sectors.
You learn through:
- Face-to-face lectures and seminars
- Online lectures and seminars
- Independent study
- Student-led collaborative learning
- Practice-based learning
- Exams and coursework
- Practicals and formative assessments
Key Themes
You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the key theories, debates and perspectives relevant to the study of criminology and psychology. These involve a modern understanding of criminal justice and mental health systems and the current challenges they face – such as policing, probation prison practice, gendered violence, power and harm, trauma, and forensic psychology.
The course approach will involve learning through teaching, working, doing, independent study and learning online. This blend of in-person and online activities creates a collaborative learning environment, allowing you to form communities with your peers and enhancing your overall educational experience.
Our teaching approach is designed to provide a 'real-world' curriculum, emphasising key transferable skills that enhance your prospects for future graduate employment or further study opportunities.
Course Support
You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate level employment through several key areas. These include:
- Access to specialist support services to help with your personal, academic and career development.
- Access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments.
- Industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments and networking opportunities.
Course leaders and tutors
Oliver Merry
Senior Lecturer of Forensic PsychologyProfile of Dr Oliver Merry, Senior Lecturer of Forensic Psychology course leader of BSc (Hons) Criminology & Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University
Applied learning
We prepare you to engage in real-life challenges by offering opportunities to apply the knowledge you’ve learned to real-world experiences.
Work Placement
You’ll have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement in between your second and third year. This gives you valuable work experience to prepare you for your future career – and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.
To maximise your career prospects, you’ll engage in various curriculum-integrated employability activities. These include student placement modules and interactions with criminal justice and third sector agencies. These experiences encompass project work with external agencies, simulation modules, and voluntary work facilitated through our employability fair.
Previous students have completed placements for companies and organisations such as the Community Rehabilitation Company, Victim Support and Doncaster Prison.
Live Projects
You’ll engage in a range of live projects – working on behalf of real organisations. Previous student projects have included designing materials for hate crime awareness week for South Yorkshire Police, designing educational materials to help young people understand cybercrime on behalf of Victim Support, and researching the experiences of securing housing for those released from prison on behalf on NACRO (the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders).
We work in partnership with employers and organisations to impact on important issues in the local area. You’ll have opportunities to apply your knowledge in real-world community projects that make a positive difference. This engagement includes working with young people, prison-related organisations, community justice entities, substance misuse services, women's services, accommodation services, victim services, and more.
International Opportunities
You’ll have the opportunity to study abroad at one of our partner institutions. You can also choose which modules you want to study. This immersive experience offers insights into different cultures and learning styles while providing you with the chance to explore new places and connect with people from diverse backgrounds.
Networking Opportunities
Our course benefits from strong ties with the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice and the Centre for Behavioural Science and Applied Psychology (CeBSAP). This makes sure our teaching is directly aligned with contemporary applied fields, addressing ethical and social justice issues, and promoting access to community resources.
We regularly host events and lectures featuring national and international guest speakers, including police officers, forensic psychologists, probation officers and prison governors.
You’ll also receive career-related support from department specialists, as well as access to graduate opportunities.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in:
- Mental health
- Psychology
- Social justice
- Social research
- Service projects
- Offender rehabilitation
- Academia
- The charity sector
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:
- Charitable organisations
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- Civil service and local government
- Drug and alcohol charities
- HM Prison and Probation service
- Ministry of Justice
- The police service
- Victim support
- Youth work
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
Most of our teaching is conducted in dedicated lecture studios, small teaching rooms and computer labs. You’ll have access to any specialist software required, such as data analysis packages and data collection tools.
The research equipment currently available to students includes:
- An observation suite
- An eye-tracking laboratory
- A BioPac laboratory
- A low-level vision laboratory
- A food laboratory
- Electroencephalography (EEG) equipment
We’ve invested over £100 million in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces designed by our students.
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 64
This must include at least 32 points from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications excluding general studies For example:
- CC at A Level
- MPP in BTEC Extended Diploma.
- Pass overall from a T level qualification with D or E from core
- A combination of qualifications, which may include AS levels and EPQ.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- English Language at grade C or 4 or equivalent
- Maths at grade C or 4 or equivalent
ACCESS
- Access to HE Diploma, with at least 45 level 3 credits.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
The Exploration Of Law, Crime, Justice And Society
Elective modules
Social Justice In Action
The Practice Of Law And Policing
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Experiences Of Justice
Understanding Crime, Society And Behaviour
Year 3
Compulsory modules
Understanding And Researching Serious Harm
Elective modules
Professional Practice On Placement
Real World Practice
Study Abroad - Institute Of Law And Justice
Year 4
Optional modules
Placement Year
Final year
Elective modules
21St Century Security Threats: Crime, Crisis Or Tragedy
Applied Cyberpsychology
Comparative Criminal Justice
Controversies Of Policing
Crime, Harm And Social Justice
Forensic Psychology
Gender, Power And The State
Pathways To Change
Psychology Across The Life Course
Punishment And Practice In Context
Real World Project
Real World Research
Sex, Gender And Violence
The Psychology Of Trauma
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fees for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2025/26 are regulated by the UK government and are yet to be confirmed. For an indication, our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Institute of Law and Justice (PDF, 141.3KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
